Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the Power of God - thrust into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Did I remember to put my envelope in the collection?

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Wednesday, 6 August 2014

“I pity the poor priest who has to tell his congregation not to smile during the kiss of peace.”

Amy Welborn, IIRC, used to complain that MSM reporters seemed to have the address of but a single Catholic priest in their "rolodexes," and it was usually Tom Reese.
Even religious journalists seem to cast their nets into a fairly shallow pool.

In an effort to ensure a more sober ritual, the Vatican
has urged bishops to clamp down [there's a carefully chosen phase, huh? "clamp down?" so much more modern than "suppress,"] on singing, moving around, and casual
expressions of affection when the sign of peace is exchanged during
mass.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments led by Spanish Cardinal Antonio Canizares
Llovera, has sent a letter to bishops around the world expressing
concern about what it considers to be ritual abuses.

Among
them, he said, were turning the sign of peace into a “song of peace,”
the priest leaving the altar during the interlude, or use of the ritual
to offer congratulations at weddings or condolences at funerals.

Pope
Francis reportedly approved the letter, which confirmed the importance
of the rite, before it was distributed to bishops’ conferences.

The
Rev. Anthony Ruff, a theology professor at St. John’s School of
Theology-Seminary in Minnesota and editor of the blog Pray Tell,
believes the Vatican letter will have little impact on Catholics.

“I
suspect such local practices will continue and the Vatican letter won’t
change much, since most people don’t find it irreverent to reach out in
friendliness even if it’s beyond what the rules allow,” said Ruff.

Vatican expert Thomas Reese criticized the letter.

“It
ignores the most ancient tradition where the kiss of peace occurred at
the end of the liturgy of the word,” Reese, a commentator for National Catholic Reporter, told Religion News Service. “I pity the poor priest who has to tell his congregation not to smile during the kiss of peace.”

Yeah, Father, that's right, Cardinal Llovera and the Vatican Meanies are ordering people not to smile...

Living in an urban setting, do you find it difficult to get your hands on enough dried stalks of cereal plants for the construction of homunculi for debating purposes?